Saber Conjugation: The Complete Guide to “To Know” in Spanish
Spanish Irregular Verbs Hub |Saber Quiz
SABER (to know) is the verb for facts, information, and skills. It’s irregular in the present tense — the yo form is sé, unusual enough that learners miss it constantly — irregular in the preterite, and it carries a meaning shift in the past that changes what you’re saying.
This guide covers everything you need: the full conjugation in the present, preterite, and imperfect tenses; the main uses of the verb; the contrast with conocer that every learner has to internalize; and the mistakes to avoid. By the end, you’ll know not just how to conjugate saber, but when to reach for it — and when conocer is the right verb instead.
Key Takeaways
- SABER means “to know” — facts, information, and how to do things.
- It’s irregular in the present (sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben) — the yo form is sé, with an accent.
- It’s irregular in the preterite (supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieron) — strong stem sup- and no accent marks.
- The imperfect is regular: sabía, sabías, sabía, sabíamos, sabíais, sabían.
- Supe vs sabía is a meaning shift: supe = I found out, sabía = I knew.
- Saber is for facts, information, and skills. Conocer is for familiarity with people, places, and things.
- Common idioms: saber a (to taste like), que yo sepa (as far as I know), saber de memoria (to know by heart).
Conjugation of SABER in the Present Tense
Saber is irregular in the present tense. The yo form is sé — irregular in ending and carrying an accent. All other forms follow a regular -er pattern.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sé | I know |
| Tú | sabes | You know (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | sabe | He / She knows, You know (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | sabemos | We know |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | sabéis | You all know (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | saben | They know, You all know (formal) |
Example Sentences
- Yo sé la respuesta. (I know the answer.)
- ¿Tú sabes cocinar? (Do you know how to cook?)
- Ella sabe hablar tres idiomas. (She knows how to speak three languages.)
- Nosotros sabemos la verdad. (We know the truth.)
A Note on Vosotros
Vosotros and vosotras are used primarily in Spain. In Latin America, ustedes covers both formal and informal plural address, and vosotros is essentially absent from everyday speech. If you’re learning Spanish for Latin America, you’ll recognize sabéis in writing but won’t need to produce it. If you’re studying for a Spain-based exam or spending time in Spain, learn it alongside the other forms.
Conjugation of SABER in the Preterite
The preterite of saber is irregular. The stem is sup- in every form. No accent marks — the strong preterite pattern never carries them. And the meaning shifts: supe means “I found out,” not “I knew.”
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | supe | I found out |
| Tú | supiste | You found out (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | supo | He / She found out |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | supimos | We found out |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | supisteis | You all found out (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | supieron | They found out |
Example Sentences
- Supe la noticia ayer por la tarde. (I found out the news yesterday afternoon.)
- ¿Supiste que María se muda a Chile? (Did you find out that María is moving to Chile?)
- Él supo la verdad demasiado tarde. (He found out the truth too late.)
- Supimos el resultado por la radio. (We found out the result on the radio.)
Conjugation of SABER in the Imperfect
The imperfect of saber is fully regular: stem sab- plus the standard -er imperfect endings. Note the accent marks on sabía, sabías, and sabíamos.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sabía | I knew / I used to know |
| Tú | sabías | You knew / You used to know (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | sabía | He / She knew, You knew (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | sabíamos | We knew / We used to know |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | sabíais | You all knew (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | sabían | They knew |
Example Sentences
- Sabía la respuesta, pero no dije nada. (I knew the answer, but I said nothing.)
- ¿Sabías que era su cumpleaños? (Did you know it was her birthday?)
- Mi profesor sabía muchísimo de historia. (My teacher knew a great deal about history.)
- Sabíamos el camino de memoria. (We knew the way by heart.)
Preterite vs Imperfect with SABER — The Meaning Shift
This is one of the most important meaning shifts in Spanish, and it happens with saber more than almost any other verb.
- Supe = I found out (a completed event — the moment knowledge arrived). Supe la noticia ayer = I found out the news yesterday.
- Sabía = I knew (an ongoing state — knowledge already held). Sabía la respuesta = I knew the answer.
- No supe = I failed to find out / I didn’t find out. No supe qué hacer = I didn’t know what to do (in that specific moment).
- No sabía = I didn’t know (ongoing state). No sabía nada = I knew nothing.
The preterite supe is the moment of learning. The imperfect sabía is the state of knowing. That’s the whole distinction.
The Main Uses of SABER
1. Facts and Information
The most common use: knowing facts, data, information.
- Sé que Madrid es la capital de España. (I know that Madrid is the capital of Spain.)
- ¿Sabes la hora? (Do you know the time?)
- Sabemos dónde vive. (We know where he lives.)
2. Skills — “To Know How To”
Saber + infinitive means “to know how to” do something. This is one of the most common uses and one of the most common sources of confusion with poder.
- Sé nadar. (I know how to swim.)
- Sabe tocar la guitarra. (He knows how to play the guitar.)
- ¿Sabes conducir? (Do you know how to drive?)
Note: Saber + infinitive is for learned skills. Poder + infinitive is for ability or permission in the moment. Sé nadar (I know how to swim — a skill I learned), Puedo nadar (I can swim — I’m able to right now).
3. Finding Out — The Preterite Use
In the preterite, saber means “to find out” — the moment knowledge arrived.
- Supe la verdad ayer. (I found out the truth yesterday.)
- ¿Supiste algo más? (Did you find out anything else?)
- Supimos que estaba en el hospital. (We found out he was in the hospital.)
4. Saber vs. Conocer
This is the distinction every learner has to internalize. Both mean “to know,” but they cover different territory.
| Saber | Conocer |
|---|---|
| Facts, information, data | People |
| How to do something (skills) | Places |
| Something learned by heart | Things you’re familiar with |
| Sé la respuesta (I know the answer) | Conozco a María (I know María) |
| Sé nadar (I know how to swim) | Conozco Madrid (I know Madrid) |
| Sé la canción de memoria (I know the song by heart) | Conozco ese restaurante (I know that restaurant) |
The simple rule: If you learned it or can recite it, use saber. If you’ve met it or been there, use conocer. For a deeper dive into conocer’s full paradigm and more contrast pairs, see the dedicated Saber vs. Conocer guide.
5. Common Idioms with SABER
- saber a — to taste like
- Esta sopa sabe a pollo. (This soup tastes like chicken.)
- que yo sepa — as far as I know
- Que yo sepa, no ha llegado todavía. (As far as I know, he hasn’t arrived yet.)
- saber de memoria — to know by heart
- Me sé el poema de memoria. (I know the poem by heart.)
- sin saber — without knowing
- Lo hice sin saber las consecuencias. (I did it without knowing the consequences.)
- a saber — namely
- Tres países, a saber: España, México y Argentina. (Three countries, namely: Spain, Mexico, and Argentina.)
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the yo form is sé. Not sabo. The yo form is irregular and carries an accent: sé.
- Confusing saber and conocer. Sé la respuesta (I know the answer), but Conozco a Juan (I know Juan). The distinction isn’t optional — swapping them produces ungrammatical Spanish.
- Using saber for people or places. “I know Madrid” is Conozco Madrid, not Sé Madrid. “I know María” is Conozco a María, not Sé a María.
- Using poder for learned skills. “I can swim” as a skill is Sé nadar, not Puedo nadar. Poder is for current ability or permission.
- Missing the meaning shift in the preterite. Supe means “I found out,” not “I knew.” If you want “I knew,” use sabía.
- Adding accents to the preterite. Supe, supo, supimos — no accents. The imperfect has them: sabía, sabías, sabíamos.
Putting It All Together
Imagine telling someone what you found out last week. La semana pasada supe algo interesante: mi amigo Carlos, que no sabía nadar, va a participar en un triatlón. Le pregunté: «¿Sabes nadar ahora?» Y me dijo: «Sí, aprendí el año pasado. Ahora sé nadar bastante bien.» Yo no sabía que había aprendido. Supe la noticia por una amiga en común. Y ahora sé que Carlos también sabe montar en bici y correr rápido. A ver cómo le va en la carrera. Every underlined form is saber — facts, skills, finding out, and the preterite/imperfect contrast — all in one short paragraph. That’s how central this verb is.
Quick Reference Chart
| Tense | Yo | Tú | Él / Ella / Ud. | Nosotros | Vosotros | Ellos / Uds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | sé | sabes | sabe | sabemos | sabéis | saben |
| Preterite | supe | supiste | supo | supimos | supisteis | supieron |
| Imperfect | sabía | sabías | sabía | sabíamos | sabíais | sabían |
Practice Exercise
Fill in the blank with the correct form of saber.
- Yo ____ la respuesta. (answer: sé)
- ¿Tú ____ cocinar? (answer: sabes)
- Ayer ____ la noticia por la radio. (answer: supe)
- Cuando era niño, ____ nadar muy bien. (answer: sabía)
- Nosotros ____ la verdad desde el principio. (answer: sabíamos)
Ready to Master Saber Completely?
You’ve got the conjugation, the uses, and the saber vs. conocer contrast. The next step is putting them to work — under pressure, with feedback, at a pace that builds from simple to advanced.
Take the Saber Conjugation Quiz to test yourself across all four levels: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Practice. Each set builds on the last.
👉 Take the Saber Conjugation Quiz
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📚 SABER: Frequently Asked Questions
A: Saber is irregular in the present tense. The forms are: sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben. The yo form is sé — irregular in ending and carrying an accent. All other forms follow a regular -er pattern.
A: No. Saber is irregular in the preterite. The forms are: supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieron. The stem is sup- in every form, and there are no accent marks. Note that the meaning also shifts — supe means “I found out,” not “I knew.”
A: Yes. The imperfect of saber is fully regular: sabía, sabías, sabía, sabíamos, sabíais, sabían. Take the stem sab- and add the standard -er imperfect endings. Note the accent marks on sabía, sabías, and sabíamos.
A: Saber is for facts, information, and skills: Sé la respuesta (I know the answer), Sé nadar (I know how to swim). Conocer is for familiarity with people, places, and things: Conozco a María (I know María), Conozco Madrid (I know Madrid). The simple rule: if you learned it or can recite it, use saber. If you’ve met it or been there, use conocer.
A: This is one of the most important meaning shifts in Spanish. Supe (preterite) means “I found out” — the moment knowledge arrived: Supe la noticia ayer (I found out the news yesterday). Sabía (imperfect) means “I knew” — the state of already holding knowledge: Sabía la respuesta (I knew the answer). The preterite is the moment of learning; the imperfect is the state of knowing.
A: Use saber + infinitive for learned skills: Sé nadar (I know how to swim), Sabe tocar la guitarra (He knows how to play the guitar). Use poder + infinitive for ability or permission in the moment: Puedo nadar hoy (I can swim today — I’m able to right now). Saying puedo nadar for a learned skill is a common learner error.
A: Saber a means “to taste like”: Esta sopa sabe a pollo (This soup tastes like chicken), El helado sabe a fresa (The ice cream tastes like strawberry). It’s a common idiom, and the a is required — sabe pollo is not grammatical.
A: Que yo sepa means “as far as I know”: Que yo sepa, no ha llegado todavía (As far as I know, he hasn’t arrived yet). Note that sepa is the subjunctive form of saber — this is one of the fixed phrases where the subjunctive appears in everyday speech. It’s a set expression, so it’s worth learning as a chunk.
A: Saber de memoria means “to know by heart”: Me sé el poema de memoria (I know the poem by heart), Sabe la canción de memoria (He knows the song by heart). The reflexive saberse is common with this expression.
A: The six most common mistakes are:
- Forgetting the yo form is sé — producing sabo instead.
- Confusing saber and conocer — Sé la respuesta, but Conozco a Juan.
- Using saber for people or places — Conozco Madrid, not Sé Madrid.
- Using poder for learned skills — Sé nadar, not Puedo nadar.
- Missing the meaning shift — supe means “I found out,” not “I knew.”
- Adding accents to the preterite — it’s supe, not supé; supo, not supó.
